Chamber meeting hears from Inland Rail, Service NSW and the crime committee

The Narrabri Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting was held on August 8, chaired by president Russell Stewart and was well attended.

There were two guest speakers on the night.

Bernadette Morgan, who has the community engagement role with Service NSW, is a customer care specialist and spoke of the many services the organisation provides including the Savings Finder program which helps with the cost of living.

Service NSW has seven full-time employees at its Narrabri branch.

Louise Johnson from Inland Rail was the second speaker.

Ms Johnson, based in Coonabarabran is the stakeholder engagement lead for Inland Rail, focusing on environmental approvals and property acquisitions. She spoke of how the Beverage (Victoria) to Parkes (NSW) route has been prioritised in the Inland Rail project.

Ms Johnson whose focus is the Narromine to Narrabri route said that Inland Rail personnel now have more freedom to discuss the project which was welcomed by member Jim Purcell who congratulated Ms Johnson on her ability to address the concerns of local people around the route.

Inland Rail is a subsidiary of ARTC.

Regarding the Yarrie Lake project, the new Yarrie Lake Trust under the leadership of Lester Kelly, reported that it had secured new funding and has put improvements in place at the lake.

The Yarrie Lake bore committee reported that it is currently waiting for the final report from Water NSW on the status of the application for the Yarrie Lake production bore.

It is hoped that the lake is able to have enough water so people can ski in the summer.

The crime report was endorsed by committee member Tony Longworth.

Concerns were raised about the level of crime in the area.

Mr Longworth said that the police are doing as much as they can in very difficult circumstances and urged anyone who is affected by criminal activity to ring and report any incidences.

Please phone the police, if no one answers it’s important to leave a message he stressed, it will be followed up.

Members were pleased to welcome back former secretary Sheryl Ridley who was returning after successfully dealing with medical issues.

The chamber is looking forward to a gala business awards dinner on September 9 and urges people to book their seats or tables as it is predicted to be a sell out.

The Christmas Carnival is scheduled for Friday, December 15 and promises to be a brilliant time for families. Carnival rides are already booked. The Courier’s Shop Locally Christmas promotion will be drawn at this event.

The meeting closed at 7.30pm. The next meeting is scheduled for September 12 and everyone is urged to attend.